Showing posts with label tucson ez-guide. Show all posts
Showing posts with label tucson ez-guide. Show all posts

Friday, February 24, 2012

A Decade of EZ-Guides, International Shows and QR Codes!



What a Whirlwind of a Show! 

What a YEAR!   


What do you mean it is only February?


OK - I am of to hibernate for a while...with the glow of the desert still warming my skin....WHAT? 


I need to write a show wrap up? OK...


It has been an amazing couple of months from working on and gathering the information for a brand new International Edition of the EZ-Guide (did you pick up your copy in Tucson?) - to getting the annual Tucson EZ-Guide out!


Did you notice that the Tucson EZ Guide has gone "high tech"?  QR Codes made it possible to include more info without the EZ-Guide ending up so big you couldn't carry it with you! 


Here is a  quickie guide for those of you who I didn't talk to in Tucson!!!  


A QR (Quick Response) Code  is much like the Bar Codes on the goods you purchase from most stores today.


Here is an easy explanation from the Master of Explanation, Lee LeFever of Common Craft:


"In our online world, everything is linked together. You visit a website, and click a link to visit another site, send a message, view a photo or download a video.  A simple click makes everything possible.On the other hand, our physical world is what you see walking down the street.   The problem is – nothing is clickable. You can’t click a URL on a container to see recipes.  You can’t click a statue to read about it on Wikipedia. So, you end up having to type in a link, take notes or just keep walking. But that’s starting to change.
You may have seen codes like these. They’re called QR or “quick response” codes and they mean
your camera phone can now be a little like a cashier’s scanner.
Once you have an QR reader app on your smartphone, you can point your camera phone at these codes and immediately grab useful information.
Let’s say you’re running errands and walk by a sign that says “New Show Coming Soon” and there’s a QR code.   You can just open your QR reader app, point your camera phone at the code and the app will automatically give you options.
No links to remember, no notes - just point your phone at the QR code and the real world becomes clickable."

So now the question becomes where do you find a QR Scanner for your Smart Phone?

Turns out that today you have a couple options - there are 291 options on Download.com
...or for those of you that are Microsoft users - Mashable recently wrote up the new MS Tag system...check out a couple and find the one that works for you!

OK - wrap up coming in the next day or so...

Friday, February 11, 2011

Tucson Gem & Mineral Show - The Main Event

Back in 1955 a little local Gem & Mineral club held their club show at the Rodeo Grounds - fast forward 56 years to the 57th Annual Tucson Gem & Mineral Show...covering two show floors at the Tucson Convention Center.

Today was Opening Day - the theme "California Minerals" - it was a packed house a few photos...





If you are in town for the TGMS be sure to check out the Tucson Electric Park Show a nd Tucson Electric Park RV Show...the Freeway Shows and the Arizona Mineral & Fossil Shows.


I stopped in at the Hotel Tucson Show and met up with Geoff Notkin of the "Meteorite Men" fame...the guys that made outer space sexy!

The Aerolite Suite features some of the finest meteorite specimens on this planet, a great selection of Meteorite Men collectibles and the new book from Geoff Notkin...be sure to stop in a get an autographed copy!  ...and great news - the series has been picked up for a new season.

To order the book see: http://meteoritehunters.tv/